Modern, flexible hubs designed to inspire and support new start-ups and growing businesses have the scope to be fantastic catalysts for sustainable economic growth.
Generating knowledge flow and fostering an innovation culture, they bring diverse strengths and specialties together and promote collaboration. They provide important opportunities for local businesses by encouraging new connections and partnerships, and are a key source of guidance such as for funding.
Links between academic and business capabilities can enable new research, and they provide scope for concepts, products and processes to be trialled and tested.
The hub of UK rocket development at Newquay Aviation Centre at Spaceport in Cornwall
They can be a springboard for new business ideas and help them develop into market-ready products and services. And they can attract young talent and create new entrepreneurial opportunities as well as motivating new industries to establish in a city and accelerating local emerging ones.
New offices for start-up businesses at Sci-Tech Daresbury in Cheshire
Along with enabling skills development, new local jobs and more business for local support industries, innovation hubs can make a huge contribution to local prosperity.